Love and Peace and Snow
by maramouse
Summary: When Lorelai is sent to pick up April from the airport for Christmas, a little snow, a cheap hotel room, and a heart-to-heart conversation lead to an unexpected step in Luke's and Lorelai's relationship. Set post-series.


Author's Note: If you've read my other fic, "April Come She Will," you'll see that I have a bit of an obsession with the whole Luke/Lorelai/April triangle. I don't know what it is, exactly. While most Java Junkie shippers resent April for breaking up our favorite couple (not that it was April's fault!), I'm rather found of the left-brained, precoscious little girl. It really warms my heart to think that Luke gets the chance to experience what he always watched and wished for in the form of Rory (no matter how much Luke and his "jam hands" rant tried to deny it, we know the truth there!).

This story was actually written (though obviously not posted) before I started working on "April Come She Will" and is a non-AU, post-series depiction of Lorelai's and April's relationship. Though it was never explored very much, I think April's and Lorelai's relationship has so much potential. We all know Lorelai Gilmore, in addition to being a great mom to Rory, is a great mother figure, period; not only did she help raise Lane, but she also was there for _Paris_, and come on, that's really saying something! The plot bunnies started hopping around and multiplying, and I ended up with not only one "what if April" stories, but two (the other one, of course, being "April Come She Will"!). Sooooo, without further ado and any spoilers, I hope you enjoy this non-AU story, too!

XXXXXXXX

The holidays were prevalent in Stars Hallow's air. The typical Christmas decorations were being hung around town, and Taylor had once again hinted to Luke about making his place more festive. Best of all, the past day had brought the season's first snow. Though late this year, it was certainly worth the wait. Lorelai watched from the reception desk as children skated on the Dragonfly's ice rink outside and threw snowballs at each other. The door opened, and a few kids came outside, flush faced, chapped lipped, and eager for a treat of hot chocolate.

As much as Lorelai loved snow, today, her thoughts were focused on something else. A year ago, she had been married. A year ago, she had been broken up with Luke and had spent the first snowfall with Christopher and Gigi. Even though she and Luke had been lying in bed when the snow began to fall the night before, this had not managed to comfort Lorelai. She could not stop herself from thinking about how last year she and Luke had missed what was normally her favorite time of year.

It did not help that Rory was not coming home, either. She had been invited to a special political benefit in Chicago, and this time, she made Lorelai promise that she wouldn't delay Christmas for her. Even Lorelai's parents were not going to be around; they had decided to spend Christmas in Paris, another turn of events that bombarded Lorelai with memories. Though she was not sad that her parents had left, she could not help wishing that there was someone familiar from her own family that she could invite to Christmas dinner. As it went, Lorelai was having Christmas with April and Luke.

While April and Lorelai had gotten along well the times April had visited before, April continued to be a sore part in Luke's and Lorelai's relationship. Luke was doing a good job sharing, but April continued to represent memories from their year apart. Though neither of them discussed it, Lorelai knew Luke remembered their fights about April as clearly as she did. She was beginning to love the little girl and even felt as though April had a place in her life, but sometimes, it was still difficult to be around her. Unlike the rest of the time, where she did her best to forget about what had transpired between them, she was always forced to remember Luke's and her year apart whenever April was around.

Lorelai was startled by the ring of her cell phone. Michel gave her a look when she picked it up, but she recognized the number as Luke's. Luke was picking April up from the airport, and Lorelai was prepared to hear that April's flight might have been delayed on account of the snow. Ignoring Michel's look, she stepped out of the room and took the phone.

"Luke?"

She could hear the buzz of the diner from the phone. "Lorelai," said an out-of -breath sounding Luke, "I think I'm gonna need a favor."

Someone who sounded suspiciously like Kirk was complaining that his food was taking too long. "Sure, babe," said Lorelai. "What is it?"

"It's just that when I let Caesar and Lane off for Christmas Eve tonight, I didn't think it would be a problem. I didn't think anyone would come in for Christmas Eve, but most of Stars Hallow must not have made Christmas Eve plans, cause this place is just swamped. I don't know if I'll be able to get away."

Lorelai paused, as what Luke was asking her sunk in. As much she liked April, she still felt uncomfortable stepping in when April was expecting Luke. Capitalizing on her pause, Luke said, "It's okay; I'll just close early."

"No, you need your job," Lorelai said, forcing herself to put these feelings aside. "Of course I'll take her. You said her flight was going to get in at seven?"

Luke let out of a breath of relief. "Yeah, but I was going to get there sooner in case her flight got in early."

"I'll leave right now. Do you think we should contact her so she knows not to call you first when she gets off the plane?"

"I'll leave a message on her cell phone," Luke said. Under his breath, he said, "I guess there is some use for those things."

Lorelai tried not to laugh. "Well, I'll get right on it. Don't worry, Luke. I'll bring your daughter back, safe and sound."

"Thanks, Lorelai. I really appreciate it." Lorelai sensed he wanted to say something else, but Kirk yelled something again. After yelling at Kirk to shut up, Luke got back on the phone. "Will you tell April I'm sorry I couldn't pick her up myself?"

"Consider it done. Luke, you've been so much help to Rory over the years that the least I can do is do something for your daughter in return."

She knew Luke understood as well as she did that due to their complications two years before, the situation was nothing like Luke helping Rory, but he willfully did not bring that up. The two said goodbye, and Lorelai went back to the front desk to tell Michel about the situation. Michel, naturally, was not happy to learn that he had to man the desk himself, but Lorelai managed to get away.

On the way to the airport, even more snow began to fall. It was becoming difficult to see outside, and Lorelai could only hope that April's flight had not been delayed because of the weather. Luckily, looking at the board listing the flight's times confirmed that April's flight was only five minutes late. Since she still had an hour and a half to spare, Lorelai bought a few _People_ magazines and busied herself with reading them in the Baggage Claim area, where she was waiting for April.

When five past seven finally arrived, Lorelai looked up to watch the people coming down into the Baggage Claim center. Most appeared to be meeting family and hugged their family members as they soon as they caught sight of them. It made Lorelai feel sad. She already missed Rory enough without this reminder that she was not there.

After about a quarter past seven, Lorelai's thoughts were interrupted by the small figure of April Nardini. "Lorelai?" she asked, spotting her.

"April, hey!" said Lorelai, rushing to give her a hug. April hugged her back, a little half-heartedly. Lorelai glanced down to see the confusion on April's face. "I don't suppose you got Luke's message about me meeting you here, huh?"

April shook her head. "I haven't checked my phone yet. I wanted to come off and surprise him." She frowned. "Is my dad all right?"

"Yeah, he's fine," said Lorelai, a little taken aback by the concern April was showing her. She and Rory had known each other their whole lives so being close was natural, but it was amazing how close Luke and April had become in just two years. "He wanted to me to tell you he's really sorry he couldn't pick you up himself, but he's just swamped at the diner right now. Hey, what's your bag look like? It looks like the other bags from your flight are starting to come out."

April described her bag, a new suitcase she had gotten that had been handmade by a Navajo tribe, and within a few minutes, they were on their way to the car. April shivered as soon as she stepped outside. "I keep forgetting how cold Connecticut is."

"Yeah, living in New Mexico will do that to a girl," Lorelai said, glancing down at the fourteen-year-old besides her. April had grown a few inches since she had last seen her in October, but she still had plenty to go before she reached Lorelai. April, noticing her staring, changed the subject.

"Dad called me this morning to tell me that it snowed last night. Is all of Stars Hallow freaking out about its first snow?"

Lorelai nodded, surprised Luke had told April about the snow, when normally, snow was something he complained about. "Yeah, Taylor got so worried it wouldn't snow in time for Christmas that he even held a special town meeting in honor of it. He was almost ready to call the weather channel and demand they look at the forecast again, he was so anxious."

April laughed. "That sounds like Taylor."

It was only when April got into the front seat beside her that Lorelai asked the question she'd been wondering. "Hey April, how come your dad told you about the snow? Was it bugging him in his usual way or something?"

April's tone was thoughtful. "No, he actually seemed pretty excited about it. He even said that maybe we could all go sledding later or something."

"Luke? _Sledding?"_

"I think maybe he feels guilty about how I'm missing the snow because of New Mexico. I don't mind it. It might be nice to be outside without Dad complaining about how stupid snow is."

"You sure he, uh, didn't have another reason?"

"I don't think so," said April, looking at her. "But you'd know better than I would."

Lorelai let out a breath. What she was thinking was ridiculous. Surely Luke had another reason besides Lorelai's own love for suddenly seeming to like snow.

April and Lorelai made careful small talk for the next few miles; April told her about the new science fair projects she was considering, and Lorelai, in return, updated her about the Inn, a subject April always found fascinating to listen to. They were about ten minutes away from the airport when Lorelai noticed that it was snowing harder. She was having trouble making out the road on account of the snowy blanket falling around her.

April seemed to notice, too. "Are we going to be able to get back home? I've read that the amount of car crashes increases significantly during winter."

Lorelai glanced at her. "Are you really anxious to see your dad?"

"What I'm most anxious about is _safety_," April corrected her. "When we lived here, I always made Mom promise not to go out in black ice. I don't see any now, but it's always better not to take chances. At any rate, it looks like it's too snowy for you to see anything, and that's not good either."

Seeing that the girl was serious, Lorelai decided that she simply didn't have a choice. "You know, April, I think you have a point," Lorelai said. "I think it's best if I head back and find a hotel close to the airport. Would you mind calling your dad and telling him for me?"

April shrugged. "It might be more fun to first see him on Christmas, anyway."

As Lorelai turned around, April called Luke. Comments of "No, we're fine" and "Dad, I'm _okay_" seemed to be repeated over and over. At last, April handed Lorelai the phone, just as Lorelai spotted a sign for a nearby Holiday Inn Express. "Dad wants to talk to you," she said.

Luke's worried voice came on as soon as Lorelai put the phone to her ear. "Lorelai?" he said. "Oh my God, how bad is it? Are you all right?"

"Luke, we're fine," Lorelai said, veering her car the direction of the hotel. "It's just a little snowy. We'll be there first thing tomorrow morning."

"And you and April are okay with this?"

Lorelai glanced at April, who had begun reading what looked like the "Q" volume of the encyclopedia. "We'll be fine," she said. "April has the 'Q's' here, and I'm sure a little girl time wouldn't hurt anyone." Sensing Luke was about to say something else, Lorelai said, "Luke, it's no problem. It's snowing, it's late, we need a place to stay. What else can we do?"

Luke's voice was open and earnest. "Really, Lorelai, I can't thank you enough for this."

She realized she was blushing a little bit, as his appreciation sunk in. "Luke, it's fine. I'll be happy for some time with April. I just need you to take care of Paul Anka for me. You know where his food is, right?"

To her surprise, Luke did not make his usual comment about her crazy dog. "Paul Anka will be waiting for you when you come back. I'll make my diner is still chocolate proof. You'll promise to get on the road the minute you wake up tomorrow, so we can have Christmas like we planned?"

"Luke, I promise. Now I have to concentrate on finding this hotel."

"Thanks, Lorelai. I love you."

Lorelai drew in a breath, taken by how much more tender Luke sounded than normal. After making sure that April was still preoccupied in her encyclopedia, Lorelai said quietly, "I love you, too."

They found the Holiday Inn Express a few minutes after that. Though the Holiday Inn represented the sad reality of the kind of hotels most people stayed at, Lorelai knew it would have to do. After helping April carry her suitcase, she and April made their way to the front desk.

Lorelai glanced at April. "You don't mind if we share a room, do you?"

April shrugged, so Lorelai turned to the woman standing behind the desk. It was still so odd to be here, seeing someone in _her _job-at such a different hotel, no less. "Do you happen to have a room with a few twin beds in it?"

The woman clicked a few buttons on the mouse of her computer. "I think we have a room available. Name?"

"Gilmore. Lorelai Gilmore."

April was still engrossed in her encyclopedia. After giving Lorelai the room key, the woman smiled at her. "That's some kid you got there. Only thing mine reads is comic books, and sometimes, he doesn't even want to read those."

Lorelai froze, as she and April exchanged glances, each aware of how often this had happened before. "She's not my mother," April said helpfully, glancing up at the woman.

The woman's eyes flitted to Lorelai, who gave her a weak smile. "Well, uh, your aunt then," she said, with clear uncertainty.

"She's my father's girlfriend," said April, putting the encyclopedia under her arm. "Dad wasn't able to pick me up from the airport, and it got too snowy, so we're spending the night here. Tell your son he probably just hasn't found the right book yet. I'll be happy to make a few recommendations, if you like." She glanced at Lorelai. "Can we go now?"

Lorelai nodded, and the two made their way to the elevator.

"You know, April, I can understand if this is awkward for you," said Lorelai, as April began putting the room key in their door. She opened the door to reveal the characteristically boring exterior of a classic Holiday Inn room: two twin beds side-by-side, each with blue blankets over the white sheets. "I mean, we know each other, but it's not like we've ever been alone much before."

April glanced at her. "Why would it bother me? My mom's had boyfriends, too. In fact, she's dating someone right now."

"Yes, but you know what happened to your dad and me last year, and…I'll understand if you don't trust me just yet."

April shrugged. "At least you're back together now. Mom's never been close to married before. She usually only tells me she's dating someone when it gets serious, but it's never really serious, anyhow. It's a wonder she thinks she has any advice to offer me."

Lorelai looked up, sensing a bitter tone in April's last words, but she decided it would be better not to press. She and April took turns in the bathroom, and a few minutes later, they were each lying down on their beds.

"You know, we can go to bed now," Lorelai said, noticing April's dazed state. "It's been a long day, and I'll understand if you're tired."

April glanced at the clock. "It's only six-thirty my time. I'd better stay up a little longer if I want to wake up at a reasonable time on your time zone."

"Well, do you want to watch a movie then? I don't know what the hotel has, but we can see."

April did not respond, so Lorelai turned the remote on. "Ooh, _Hairspray_. Have you seen it yet? I've only seen the original one, and I haven't been able to see this one, because your dad refuses to watch it with me. Oh, wow, look at that price. Well, I suppose it's a special occasion, isn't it?"

April rolled on her stomach and looked over at Lorelai. "Lorelai," she said softly, "how old were you when you had your first boyfriend?"

Lorelai stared at April, taken aback by the question. Was this the cause for April's bitter statement about her mom before? "I guess I was, uh, right about your age when Rory's dad and I had our first kiss. I mean, I'd had some guys I called my boyfriend before that, but that was just middle school stuff, you know?" She glanced at April again. The teenager was hanging on her every word. "Why? You don't, well, uh…"

"It's my mother," April said. "There's this boy in my class I'm just friends with it, and she's being crazy about it! She keeps giving me lectures about how I shouldn't rely on guys to be happy, I need to be independent, blah, blah, blah. Like I need to be told that."

"Have you told your mom you're just friends?" Lorelai asked carefully. She still sensed Anna did not trust her, and the last thing she wanted was to make their relationship worse. If she stayed with Luke, she was going to have to learn how to deal with the mother of his kid.

There was a long pause. "Mom saw him carrying my books on the way home from school for me," said April finally.

Lorelai looked at April. The teen's eyes revealed what her mother had been afraid of all along.

Lorelai tried a new tactic. "Well, uh, that's really sweet of him. I mean, I wish Rory's dad had done that for me."

"I don't want to _date _him," April said with emphasis. "We're too young, but I think I like him, and he told me he likes me, too. I just want, well, for Mom to stop always meddling and not to treat things like they're bigger deals than they are. She never seems to trust me!"

Another pause settled between them. "What did you do when Rory had her first boyfriend?" April asked at last. "Was she a lot younger than me?"

Lorelai smiled at the memory of Dean. While what had happened with Lindsay had not endeared Dean in her mind, she could still remember Rory's initial reaction after meeting him. "Rory was sixteen when she had her first boyfriend. At first I freaked out, because after she met him, she started talking about not going to Chilton-the prep school she'd just gotten into-and I didn't want her to throw her life away for a boy. But Rory saw sense in time."

"But that's the thing!" said April emphatically. "I would never be stupid enough to throw away my life or education for some guy! Dad sees it, my teachers see it, and everyone other adult I know does too, but Mom just can't seem to! She treats me like I'm nine or something."

"Listen, April," said Lorelai gently. "Watching your kids grow up is hard sometimes. As a single mother, I know. But if you really want your mom to understand, maybe you should try talking to her some more. No ranting, no yelling-just keep calm. That's always what worked best with Rory and me."

"You and Rory had fights?" said April in somewhat disbelief.

Lorelai grinned. "Maybe not as much as some mothers and daughters, sure. But yeah, we had some, especially as Rory got older. We wouldn't be human if we didn't."

"Sometimes, I feel like all Mom and I do is fight. I used to be happy with her, happy with just the two of us and no dad, but now…"

"Now what?" Lorelai said, noticing that April had paused.

"Now I wish I was a bird and could have flown out of the nest within a few weeks," said April bitterly.

Lorelai laughed. "Yeah, I know what you mean. I felt the same way about my mother at your age, too." She decided it was better not to mention that she still felt the same way about her mother, now.

April looked at her, her eyes earnest behind her glasses. "Do you think you could talk to Mom for me? Tell her that I won't do anything stupid and that I don't need her constant babying me?"

"No can do, April," said Lorelai. "It's like I use to tell Rory: Mom code. I might agree with you, but I could never tell another mother what to do. If you want to get your mom to change her mind, you'll have to talk to her yourself."

April was looking down now, so Lorelai went over to the opposite bed and placed her hand on April's shoulder. "Listen," she said quietly. "I might not be able to talk to your mom, but you can always talk to me. Anything, anything at all that's eating at you…I'll give you my number, and you can call me anytime you need to."

April stared at her. "Really?" she asked, looking surprised. "I can talk you whenever I want to?"

"Rain or shine, morning or night," said Lorelai. "Even when you're fretting over your own kids, and I'm rotting away in a retirement home somewhere, you can always call."

"I highly doubt you'll be in a retirement home by the time I have kids," April said, sounding more like herself now. "If I have my first kid when I'm in my thirties, you'll be in your fifties, and I don't think most fifty-something-year-old's are in retirement homes yet."

Before Lorelai could answer, April looked at her again, the glasses illuminating her huge eyes. "I know you have a Mom code," she said, "but do you think it would be all right if you didn't say anything-about Mom or the boy-to Dad?"

Lorelai grinned in spite of herself. "Believe me, April Nardini," she said, lifting up the girl's chin so that April was looking at her. "I love you far too much to do anything that might risk your life."

She stopped, realizing what she had just said. Judging by her face, April seemed to realize it, too. But before Lorelai could say anything else, April threw her arms around her. "Thank you, Lorelai," she whispered, placing her forehead against Lorelai's collar. "You're the best Dad's girlfriend ever."

Lorelai was hit by this, realizing how even less permanent being Luke's girlfriend made her than when she was his fiancée, but she did not have the heart to point this out to April now. "Goodnight, April," Lorelai whispered, shutting the lamp off with a free hand, having noticed that the girl had begun to fall asleep.

April's words came out energized, but groggy. "I'm not going to sleep now; that would ruin my plan of getting used to the time zone! If I fall asleep now, I'll wake up at six your time and four mine, and that's way too early for winter break! You'll…you'll wake me up if I fall asleep, right?"

"I promise," said Lorelai, struck by how much April was reminding her of Rory. April spoke again.

"Then again, it is nine-thirty here. I might wake up too early on your time zone and even earlier on mine, but I guess that that means we'll see Dad sooner."

Within a few minutes, April had fallen asleep. Lorelai waited to make sure she was truly out before kissing April on the forehead.

"Good night, April," she said again.

All signs were pointing at her to get up and get to sleep in her own bed, but it was a good few minutes before Lorelai was able to break away.

XXXXXXXX

On the road home the next morning, April told Lorelai all about the cliquey group of girls in her grade. Lorelai, in spite of her exhaustion and need for good coffee at the bright hour of eight in the morning, listened. She had promised to always be available for April, and it was a promise she intended to keep. The Holiday Inn Express's coffee might have been awful, but she would be getting a cup of Luke's soon. She could wait.

April ran into Luke's arms the second he opened the diner's door. Paul Anka followed Luke outside, not seeming happy about the cold. "Dad!" she said excitedly. "I'm so happy to see you! I've missed you so much! You'll never believe all the things I have to tell you."

"I missed you too, April," Luke said, giving her a squeeze. "And, uh, Merry Christmas."

April's eyes widened as she turned to Lorelai. "Is it really Christmas? Did you really not tell me?"

"Hey, I didn't remember until halfway to Stars Hallow," said Lorelai, shrugging. "The reception desk woman didn't say anything, and I guess it didn't occur to me. It's pretty hard to remember anything without a good cup of coffee in you."

April rolled her eyes. "She _hated _the complimentary cup of the Holiday Inn's coffee. I tried to tell her it was bad for you, but she wouldn't listen."

"Hey!" Lorelai protested. "I already deal with one Luke, I don't need to deal with another!"

April caught Luke's eye and giggled. "Sorry, crazy lady," Luke said. "I've dealt with a double you in the form of Rory throughout the years, so it's time you got a taste of your own medicine."

"Come on!" said April, pushing her way inside. "I smell pancakes! And there's presents! Hey, did you know I'm sixty percent atheist and forty percent agnostic? Christmas really shouldn't be a big deal for me, but I guess it's a little hard not to get excited about the presents. Maybe I should hold off on wishing people Merry Christmas later, cause the last thing I want is to promote the whole Christ's birth thing. My friend Clare would be so mad if she knew we were celebrating today. I promised her I wouldn't accept any gifts."

"I think God will be okay with you believing in him for this one holiday," Luke said. April gave him a look, but went inside without further protest.

Luke gave Lorelai's arm a squeeze before following his daughter into the diner. It only lasted a minute, but she still felt tingles running down her spine. "Thank you," he whispered.

Ten minutes later, they were sitting in Luke's dining room. Lorelai had her coffee, and they all had pancakes in front of them, Luke's without syrup. Though April agreed to try to forget that Christmas was a religious holiday, she still insisted on waiting till they opened the presents. Lorelai was secretly relieved. Though she had worked very hard on picking out a pair of earrings for April, she knew they would pale in comparison to the bucketful of gifts Luke had bought her.

"I have an idea," Lorelai said, once they were finished. "Why don't we go sledding today?"

Luke almost spit out his drink. _"Sledding?"_

"April told me you wanted to go take her sledding this trip," Lorelai said, giving him a winning smile. "It's the perfect day out, so why don't we go now?"

Luke shifted in his seat, to Lorelai's delight. "Actually, uh, I have a better idea. Why don't we got ice skating at your Inn?"

"Wait, wait, wait, I'm not hearing you right. Lucas Danes is abandoning sledding for _ice skating_?"

"I wasn't going to actually ice skate," Luke said, somewhat defensively. "I just thought I'd watch you and April skate. I know you keep your ice skates at the Dragonfly, so it's not like we have to go to your house to get them or anything."

April looked a little crestfallen. "I'd love to go, but I don't have any ice skates with me."

Luke grinned. "Well, lucky for you, cause I was one step ahead of you."

April's eyes widened when Luke presented her with the gift. She ripped it open to reveal a beautiful set of white ice skates. "Dad, they're great, and they're exactly my size!" she said, then hesitated. "You don't think, uh, my friend Clare will be mad at me if I accept them?"

"I think your dad will be the upset one if you don't accept them after all the work he went to pick them out for you," said Lorelai. Grinning, April gave him a hug.

No one else was ice-skating at the Dragonfly that morning. Though a few guests had come to visit Stars Hallow during the holidays, it appeared that those guests were huddled inside. April, who had not ice skated since she was a little girl, was unsteady on her feet at first, but after Lorelai helped her gain a rhythm, she began to improve. After about an hour of ice-skating, they went inside for drinks. Lorelai got coffee, Luke got tea, and April got hot chocolate.

April had just taken a sip of her hot chocolate when she smiled at them. Her face was flushed, and her eyes were shining. "This is the best Christmas ever. Can we do the same exact thing next year?"

Luke and Lorelai exchanged looks. Though neither saw an end of their relationship in sight, what had happened last year had already taught them enough about not being to foresee the future. "Well, we'll see," Luke said, turning back to face April. "I mean, I hope so."

April glanced at the two of them, seeming to realize that she had said something wrong. "I know it's none of my business," she said quietly, "but do you think you two will ever get engaged again? I mean, you just seem so happy, and-Lorelai, I'd really love to have you as my stepmother."

Startled, Lorelai glanced at Luke again. As soon as they got back together, they had agreed to take things slow from now on, and neither had dared to bring up the subject of marriage since. Glancing at Luke now, Lorelai was struck by how much she wanted to marry him-that in spite of herself, she wanted nothing more than to tie the knot with him.

She turned to April, prepared to say that no matter what happened between Luke and her, she would always be in April's life, but Luke beat her. Seeking out her gaze again, Luke said softly, "How does June third sound?"

Lorelai could only stare at him. April, sensing that this conversation did not include her, stood up. "I'm going to go to the bathroom," she said. Neither adult budged as they were left alone.

"Luke," Lorelai said quietly, "are you sure?"

"Lorelai, I love you," said Luke, not breaking eye contact. "I think these last few months of taking things slow have been necessary, but I don't think I can stand taking things slow anymore. I don't think I'll ever be happy if I don't have you as my wife. As long as you want it too," he remembered to add.

Lorelai shook her head, surprised to feel tears welling in her eyes. "Of course I want to marry you. I just wasn't sure…there's still so much I remember about how things felt last year…and April…"

"April wants you to be her stepmother," Luke reminded her. "And I want you to be her stepmother, too."

Lorelai glanced around the room for reassurance. All of the other families in the Inn were engrossed in their own conversations and did not meet her gaze. "Can we really do this?" she said in wonder. "Plan a wedding, get married, start a family, and just…do everything we said we'd do?"

"What, you don't think it's possible? We were only apart a year, Lorelai. That's really not that long in the grand scheme of things."

"I do," said Lorelai softly, a tear running down her cheek. "I just didn't know you thought it was possible, too."

Still crying, Lorelai collapsed into Luke's arms, where she could smell the pancakes he had made earlier. She was hit hard by the want that consumed her and the pain from their breakup that she had tried to distract herself with by using Christopher. "I never stopped loving you," she whispered. "It was just so painful, so that when I saw the opportunity with Christopher, I just-"

"Lorelai, I know," said Luke, kissing her on top of her head. "And I am so, so sorry, too."

"So, you really think we can do this?" Lorelai said again, looking up at him. "You'll still want to start a family, even though you have April?"

"Lorelai, as much as I love April doesn't change that. You have Rory; you know what I mean. I want to have a child with you, too."

The tears began overflowing again. Luke put his lips on hers and caught her in a firm embrace. "So June third?" Lorelai said, when they broke away.

"June third," said Luke firmly.

From the hallway, April watched her father and Lorelai. April Nardini normally considered herself a realist and hated even the slightest bit of sappiness on T.V., but now, she found herself smiling. She understood, perhaps better than Luke and Lorelai would have wanted, just what had transpired during their time apart, and she understood, just by looking at them, that they still belonged together now.

April knew in that instant that June third would come the same way she imagined it: she would wear a bridemaid's dress she would have to try not to hate (April still found the idea of large weddings and the dresses ridiculous) and next Christmas would be just as wonderful as the this one. She knew all of these things, in the same way that she knew the silkworm moth had eleven brains, two types of opossum shared the shortest gestation periods of twelve days, and that elephants were the only lands animals aside from humans who cried. She knew, with the kind of authority that her teachers, who often remarked that April was too left brained for her own good, would have been amazed at. For April knew that even though she had no scientific study or textbook to tell her this, that as far as Luke's and Lorelai's relationship went, everything was going to be okay.


End file.
